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From August 24 to 26, as part of the international media forum “Islamic Civilization: New Perspective — New Discoveries,” 33 master classes, creative meetings, and presentations were held at 19 higher education institutions in Tashkent. Representatives of the world’s leading media outlets and media organizations — foreign journalists, media managers, filmmakers, publishers, and industry experts — engaged in discussions with students.

The educational program featured representatives of CNN, BBC Studios, TRT World, Report.az, The London Post, Aju News Corporation, Musavat TV, the international “1001 Inventions” project, Müller & Schindler publishing house, the National Centre “Russia,” DIVI television company, Tarih TV, and other organizations.

The meetings focused on digital journalism, artificial intelligence, documentary filmmaking, publishing, cultural diplomacy, tourism journalism, and new approaches to presenting historical and cultural heritage to contemporary audiences.

On the first day of the program, August 24, meetings were held at seven higher education institutions in Tashkent. DIVI producer Vera Ilina presented the documentary “A new universe. The Islamic Civilization Center” and the trailer “Towards the sources of ancient civilizations.” Italian researcher Mario Taddei spoke about Leonardo da Vinci’s manuscripts and inventions, as well as the influence of Arab science on European scientific thought. Tarih TV’s chief director, Muhammet Agah Karlıağa, shared his experience in producing documentary films about great scholars.

Some of the master classes focused on digital journalism and engaging global audiences, cultural tourism, the book industry, cultural diplomacy, and the potential of artificial intelligence in modern media. Raza Said, founder of The London Post; Lee Jung-woo, a journalist at Aju News Corporation; Charlotte Kramer, President of Müller & Schindler; as well as representatives of Azerbaijani and Swedish media outlets engaged in discussions with students.

On August 26, the educational program continued simultaneously at several universities. At International Nordic University, the “1001 Inventions” team presented the book “1001 Inventions,” a traveling exhibition project, and the film “Whispers of Wisdom,” featuring Ben Kingsley. At Tashkent State University of Law, Alexander Us, head of Sila Sveta, spoke about the potential of artificial intelligence in the information space of the Islamic world and the new challenges associated with it.

At New Uzbekistan University, CNN regional representative Imran Ahmad held a session titled “Islamic Civilization in the global media landscape: history, heritage, and contemporary interpretation” and presented the Inside CNN project. Kim Tae Yeon, editor of Diplomacy Journal, shared his views on book diplomacy as a means of promoting shared cultural heritage. Mustafa Demirci, a professor at Selçuk University, discussed the role of media in promoting the cultural heritage of Turkic peoples.

Representatives of Müller & Schindler held a master class on the transformation of the book industry in the digital age. Wieland Scharf, a representative of BLUE PLANET TV PRODUCTION GMBH, spoke about television production in tourism journalism. TRT World representative Umesh Kumar Vohra presented the film “NexTech: Islamic Civilization Center.”

Fuad Huseynaliyev, Director of Report.az, discussed with students the work of a modern news agency, editorial policy, and the preparation of journalistic content. Sergey Stanovkin, a representative of BBC Studios, held sessions on the role of journalism in the global information landscape and its importance in fostering dialogue between civilizations.

At Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Kathleen Göbel presented the book “The 99 names of Allah,” while Raza Said spoke about contemporary challenges in digital journalism. At the University of Journalism and Mass Communications of Uzbekistan, HAUPTSTADTECHO Editor-in-Chief Volker Neef delivered a lecture on new models of information consumption and audience engagement. Anastasia Zvyagina, Deputy Director General of the National Centre “Russia,” presented the Centre’s activities and the documentary “Civilization of Transoxiana.”

The two-day program gave students an opportunity to gain first-hand exposure to international experience in journalism, television, documentary filmmaking, publishing, and digital technologies, as well as to discuss new approaches to presenting the heritage of Islamic civilization to contemporary audiences.

The creative meetings at universities held as part of the international media forum will continue in Samarkand on August 27. The 34th event of the program will be held at the “Silk Road” International University of Tourism and Cultural Heritage. This will bring the media forum’s university program to a total of 20 higher education institutions across Tashkent and Samarkand.